BBMF’s Lancaster bomber will miss much of summer display season following mid-air engine fire

Paul Fisher

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Lancaster remains unable to fly at shows up and down the country following an engine fire last month.

The aircraft is being painstakingly examined by engineers at RAF Coningsby and industry partners to establish the extent of the damage and the work required to put the cherished aircraft back into the skies as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring that the aircraft remains completely safe to fly.

The Lancaster was built in 1945 and therefore, parts are not necessarily readily available, with this in mind at this time we are unable to provide an estimate when the aircraft will return to duty.

Squadron Leader Dunc Mason, Officer Commanding BBMF said; “The Lancaster will be out of action for several weeks. Once we establish the extent of the damage we will know what additional rectification work is necessary and therefore what parts will needed, some of which may need to be manufactured.”

Sqn Ldr Mason added, “Everyone involved in the emergency responded magnificently, the aircrew, the RAF Firefighters, and our own BBMF engineers. Their prompt and professional actions limited the damage to the aircraft, and more importantly, ensured there were no injuries.”

Sqn Ldr Mason and his team are determined to put the aircraft back in the air soon, “As everyone knows, this aircraft signifies the sacrifice made by many thousands of RAF and allied aircrew during WWII, the very least we can do is to get her flying again as soon as is humanly possible”

Whilst the aircraft is unavailable, BBMF will be using other aircraft in the fleet to fulfil as many airshow and flypast commitments as possible.